Mobile computing devices are rapidly becoming ubiquitous in people's lives. Much of the developed world now has access to mobile phones, global positioning system (GPS) receivers, tablet computers, and other mobile computing devices. Many of these devices include touch screens or stylus input so that the user interacts with the same surface on which the user receives visual information. Mobile devices already have nearly the same power that only high-end desktop computers contained a few years ago. Mobile computing devices often include powerful processors (some multi-core) and dedicated graphical processing units (GPUs). Mobile computing devices also generally include touch screens that use capacitive or other electrical field technologies to determine the position of one or more user inputs (such as the user's fingers).
Mobile computing devices are used in a variety of environments and under a variety of different conditions. A person may use a mobile computing device while riding in a car or on a bus, while at work, or anywhere else the person may go. Many mobile computing devices come in ruggedized versions for industrial use where droppage, heavy vibration, moisture, or other harsh environmental conditions may surround the device. GPS receivers and smartphones are often used in cars or during other forms of motion.
Handled and portable devices are often used during times when vibration can reduce readability of text and can complicate accurate touch selection of a given point on the screen. For example, if a person is using a mobile phone in a car on a rough road, the device may shift around in the user's hand, and the user's arm may move based on the external motion of the vehicle. Construction or other workers may use mobile computing devices under consistent vibration or other motion.